diff --git a/packages/babel-node/package.json b/packages/babel-node/package.json
index 9813bd1a5e5a..8559a260d3f7 100644
--- a/packages/babel-node/package.json
+++ b/packages/babel-node/package.json
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
     "lodash": "^4.17.13",
     "node-environment-flags": "^1.0.5",
     "regenerator-runtime": "^0.13.3",
+    "resolve": "^1.13.1",
     "v8flags": "^3.1.1"
   },
   "peerDependencies": {
diff --git a/packages/babel-node/src/_babel-node.js b/packages/babel-node/src/_babel-node.js
index 6f39bb638529..8e09639a5dd7 100644
--- a/packages/babel-node/src/_babel-node.js
+++ b/packages/babel-node/src/_babel-node.js
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import vm from "vm";
 import "core-js/stable";
 import "regenerator-runtime/runtime";
 import register from "@babel/register";
+import resolve from "resolve";
 
 import pkg from "../package.json";
 
@@ -188,11 +189,9 @@ if (program.eval || program.print) {
 
     // We have to handle require ourselves, as we want to require it in the context of babel-register
     if (program.require) {
-      let requireFileName = program.require;
-      if (!path.isAbsolute(requireFileName)) {
-        requireFileName = path.join(process.cwd(), requireFileName);
-      }
-      require(requireFileName);
+      require(resolve.sync(program.require, {
+        basedir: process.cwd(),
+      }));
     }
 
     // make the filename absolute
diff --git a/packages/babel-node/test/fixtures/babel-node/--require/in-files/dep.js b/packages/babel-node/test/fixtures/babel-node/--require/in-files/dep.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..16f81e8b7061
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/babel-node/test/fixtures/babel-node/--require/in-files/dep.js
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+console.log("dep");
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/packages/babel-node/test/fixtures/babel-node/--require/in-files/foo.js b/packages/babel-node/test/fixtures/babel-node/--require/in-files/foo.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..85ce559e8f22
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/babel-node/test/fixtures/babel-node/--require/in-files/foo.js
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+console.log("foo");
diff --git a/packages/babel-node/test/fixtures/babel-node/--require/options.json b/packages/babel-node/test/fixtures/babel-node/--require/options.json
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..1384a0394841
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/babel-node/test/fixtures/babel-node/--require/options.json
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+{
+  "args": ["foo", "-r", "./dep"]
+}
diff --git a/packages/babel-node/test/fixtures/babel-node/--require/stdout.txt b/packages/babel-node/test/fixtures/babel-node/--require/stdout.txt
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..4718ef0fa726
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/babel-node/test/fixtures/babel-node/--require/stdout.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+dep
+foo
diff --git a/packages/babel-node/test/fixtures/babel-node/--require_node_modules/in-files/foo.js b/packages/babel-node/test/fixtures/babel-node/--require_node_modules/in-files/foo.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..85ce559e8f22
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/babel-node/test/fixtures/babel-node/--require_node_modules/in-files/foo.js
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+console.log("foo");
diff --git a/packages/babel-node/test/fixtures/babel-node/--require_node_modules/in-files/node_modules/dep.js b/packages/babel-node/test/fixtures/babel-node/--require_node_modules/in-files/node_modules/dep.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..16f81e8b7061
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/babel-node/test/fixtures/babel-node/--require_node_modules/in-files/node_modules/dep.js
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+console.log("dep");
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/packages/babel-node/test/fixtures/babel-node/--require_node_modules/options.json b/packages/babel-node/test/fixtures/babel-node/--require_node_modules/options.json
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..473c909f3949
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/babel-node/test/fixtures/babel-node/--require_node_modules/options.json
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+{
+  "args": ["foo", "-r", "dep"]
+}
diff --git a/packages/babel-node/test/fixtures/babel-node/--require_node_modules/stdout.txt b/packages/babel-node/test/fixtures/babel-node/--require_node_modules/stdout.txt
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..4718ef0fa726
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/babel-node/test/fixtures/babel-node/--require_node_modules/stdout.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+dep
+foo